Hackel remarks about Bing lost in the shuffle

Largely overlooked in the video/audio extravaganza that was Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel’s third State of the County Address last week were his buoyant remarks about regional cooperation and his effusive compliments of outgoing Detroit Mayor Dave Bing.

Hackel told the crowd at the MCC Performing Arts Center that Macomb County stands committed to inner city institutions such as the Detroit Institute of Arts and the expanded Cobo Center. He said that he serves as a solid supporter of the newly created Regional Transportation Authority, which plans to bring light rail and express buses to the tri-county area’s main arteries.

“The Detroit bankruptcy has not changed our views of Detroit or the importance of this region,” the executive said.

In his role as what I would call a regionalist, Hackel is attempting to wipe away the stains of Macomb County’s sometimes ugly past, routinely engaging in Detroit bashing as the center of isolationism and anti-regionalism.

On Wednesday, when Hackel acknowledged other regional leaders in attendance at the State of the County event, he paused to comment when introducing Bing as “the mayor of the great city of Detroit.”

“You are an incredible inspiration to the region. What you have been able to do in the city of Detroit, instilling integrity and trust back into the mayor’s office, has been incredible and recognized by many of us in the suburbs,” Hackel said.

“I want to thank you for not only being here for the three State of the County Addresses I’ve had but personally for all you’ve done for the city and the region and for the person that you are and what you’ve been able to do for me.”

Those remarks drew a burst of applause from the crowd of 1,200 business and political leaders, possibly the loudest response of the night.

MCC President Jim Jacobs, an economist and a bit of a Macomb County historian, couldn’t help but remark later about that moment.

Jacobs said: “I would say that just five or 10 years ago, a leader of Macomb County would never have made those kinds of remarks about a mayor of Detroit.”